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Join the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) as we launch the 2025-2025 Poetry Out Loud competition. Poetry Out Loud lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection.
Founded as a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, participating state arts councils, and five US Territories-high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence and teach them about literary history and contemporary life. In recognition of America's 250th anniversary in 2026, the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud program will focus on poems that celebrate the rich tapestry of American history and culture. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.
As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, the federal government is emphasizing programming in 2026 that honors American history and culture. Accordingly, the poems selected for the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud competition highlight American poets as well as poems that embody the nation's indomitable spirit, creativity, and innovation. All poems included in the online POL anthology for 2025-2026 are in the public domain. Students must select three poems to recite from the new online anthology during official POL contests. Poems chosen for recitation that have not been selected from the new POL online anthology will disqualify a student from competing.
During the month of January, schools will be invited to hold classroom and school competitions, with students advancing to regional competitions in February and a state competition on March 2, 2026, in Springfield, Illinois. Non-school organizations, such as after school clubs, libraries, or nonprofit organizations, may also choose to run Poetry Out Loud.
As part of Poetry Out Loud, the National Endowment for the Arts also offers free, curriculum materials, which teachers may choose to use in their classrooms. In addition to the online poetry anthology, these materials include a teacher's guide, lesson plans, and videos on the art of poetry recitation and can be accessed via the Illinois Arts Council and Poetry Out Loud websites.
State champions will advance to the national finals in Washington, DC, April 27-29, 2026, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.
How to get involved in Poetry Out Loud
To register for the 2025-2026 program, the IAC invites high schools and organizations to complete the Poetry Out Loud Participation Form by January 16, 2026. The IAC will work with interested schools and organizations to include them in the official Poetry Out Loud program. Schools and organizations that are not in the official program may conduct their own competitions using the online resources. Should you have questions, please contact either Susan Dickson, IAC Program Director at [email protected] or Sheila Walk, Education Director, Springfield Area Arts Council at [email protected].
Poetry Out Loud awards
Each state POL contest champion will receive $200 and will advance to the national championship, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion. The school or organization that helped shepherd the state contest winner through the POL process will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state contest will receive $100, with $200 awarded to their school/organization. The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals. For further information on Poetry Out Loud, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
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